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The Extra Step

I had an interesting conversation with one of my customers today while I stalled waiting for my computer to catch up with me. We were talking about Customer Service, but more about people in general. We discussed how in general people in the South tend to be kinder than those in the North, and the West. The southeastern states have some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.

But, kindness is becoming a lost art. Even in the field I work in you find some pretty unkind people. Customer service people who just want you off their phone as fast as possible. They don’t want to take the time to build any kind of rapport, and are generally rude; as if you are an intrusion on their valuable time.

I’ve learned in the 20+ years I’ve been doing this, that kindness goes a long way with customers… heck – with everyone! Being nice to someone is just the right thing to do. Treating other people the way you want to be treated is really a rule we should all be following above all else. Because, in the end when we take other people’s feelings into consideration – try to empathize with them – we find that we’re not really all that different after all.

All anyone really wants it to be loved and accepted by his/her fellow citizens. Neighbors, co workers, church members… we all just want to be liked. We want to feel as though we belong. To be reassured that we matter.

Our lives here have a purpose; for everyone that purpose is different. There are things we are meant to accomplish in our lives, and those things involve other people. Our goals will be realized only when we make the decision to interact rightly with other people.

Kindness is something we all need to practice; it is something we need to teach our younger generations. After all, they are the ones that will be running this place when we are old and gray.